


Chasing Ghosts

by Shirali



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, M/M, One-Sided Matsuoka Rin/Nanase Haruka
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2016-01-08
Packaged: 2018-05-12 12:37:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5666302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shirali/pseuds/Shirali
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the ghosts of their past that taunt them, always fluttering just out of reach as the wounds in their chests continue to bleed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chasing Ghosts

*Haru*

 

_“Tick_  
_tick_  
_tock_  
_tock_  
_ding_  
_goes_  
_the clock.”_

Haru sang softly to himself as he sat on the bare wood floor, his head resting against the robin egg blue walls. His eyes moved beneath their lids and his brows scrunched at the sound of a car door closing. Car door?

Haru stood and looked out the dust fogged window. A family of five – two little ones, a boy and a girl, a boy in his late teens or early twenties, a mom and a dad. Haru watched as the dad jiggled the front door before forcing it open.

Curious, Haru glided out of the bedroom to the landing. He leaned on the railing as the dad inspected the entrance hallway.

“Not so bad,” the dad said. “A little paint and some throw pillows, it’ll look good as new.”

The little girl walked in and promptly wrinkled her nose. “It stinks.”

“I call the biggest room!” The little boy called, bounding past her up the stairs.

“No fair!” The girl yelped, running after him.

“Ren, Ran, don’t run!” Their dad yelled after them.

Haru smiled softly as he watched, his eyes slid over to the older boy as he walked in. There was something in his green eyes that seemed familiar but Haru felt that way a lot lately. All the faces seemed to resemble someone he once knew, but the memories flitted beyond his grasp. Forgetting was frustrating.

“Makoto, why don’t you go choose too?” The mom asked.

“Okay,” Makoto smiled and Haru’s chest constricted.

Makoto climbed the stairs and glanced around. His eyes landed on Haru, and Haru opened his mouth to speak, but he brushed past him into the room with the eggshell blue walls.

“Hey,” Haru said.

“I like this room,” Makoto said.

“Yeah, it has a nice view,” Haru offered.

Makoto tried to push open the window.

“You have to push forward, then up,” Haru said.

The window jerked open with a loud screech.

“Oh, wow,” Makoto’s eyes glimmered as he looked out over the valley.

“So you guys are moving in?” Haru asked, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall.

Makoto nodded and strode out of the room. Haru stared at the open window then moved over and closed it. Makoto re-entered carrying a sleeping bag under his arm, he frowned when he saw that the window was closed.

“It was cold,” Haru explained.

Makoto laid out his sleeping bag and left again. Haru followed him downstairs. His parents were debating with the kids over what they should have for supper.

“What do you think, Makoto?” The dad asked.

“Pizza sounds good,” Haru said.

“Hmm, how about pizza,” Makoto answered.

Haru eyed him carefully.

“Would they deliver all the way out here?” The mom wondered.

“I’m actually not hungry,” Haru said.

“I think I saw a pizzeria in the last town we were in,” the dad said. “We could try there.”

“I’ll just wait here,” Haru said.

Haru glanced at Makoto again before moving back up to the bedroom. He sat on the floor and watched as the gold light streaming in the window faded. He closed his eyes and opened them again, seemingly moments later, when the door opened. The room was dark, almost black.

Makoto yawned, stumbled over to the sleeping bag, and crawled in. Haru watched as his breathing deepened, his face muscles relaxing. Haru crossed the floor and knelt, staring intently at Makoto’s face.

“Boo,” he whispered. Makoto twitched, but his chest still rose and fell steadily. Reaching out, Haru brushed Makoto’s cheek, his flingers slid through the skin like they were cutting through water. He drew his hand pack and stared at the long, pale, digits.

Cold.

They were still cold. As cold as if they were dipped in ice water.

“You can’t see me, you can’t hear me,” Haru said, “I can’t even feel your warmth.”

He sighed and rolled onto his back to stare at the ceiling with its peeling paint and bare bulb. “This sucks.”

 

*Ai*

 

“Ai.”

Nitori groaned and rolled over burying his face in the pillow. A warm hand touched his bare shoulder and gave it a shake.

“Ai,” Rin said more insistent this time. “Ai, wake up.”

Nitori sat up, rubbing sleep from his eyes. “Rin-senpai?”

“Gou’s coming over, you’ve got to leave,” Rin said, shoving a bundle of clothes into Nitori’s face.

“Huh? But–”

“Look I haven’t told her about, you know, “Rin flushed. “I haven’t told her I’m gay yet so…”

The doorbell went off and Rin paled.

“Aw shit,” Rin swore. He pulled Nitori to his feet and shoved him into the bathroom. “Hurry, get dressed, and go out the window.”

The door slammed shut in Nitori’s face. Nitori stared at the wood grain as he listened to a flustered Rin greet his little sister. Nitori’s chest stung, his mouth tasted sour as if it was full of bile.

Resigned, he gave his pants a shake to get out the wrinkles and pulled them on, trying his best to be quiet. He pulled his shirt over his head and opened the window, routinely swinging his legs over the sill. He carefully eased his way out at an angle onto the fire escape.

One of the neighbors peeked out the window, but she didn’t linger to watch him like she used to. By now the whole building must know about the foolish love-struck boy that spent his mornings creeping out of his boyfriend’s apartment.

At first Nitori was sympathetic, he understood how hard it was to admit to your family, he was glad to sneak out if it meant Rin could be more at ease. But then he actually got to know Gou, in their conversations there was nothing to suggest to Nitori that she would reject Rin for his sexuality. It actually seemed like she already knew and was fine with it. It was like a fuse being lit, Nitori was irritated, once or twice the bomb almost went off, but a glance was enough to wrench his heart. He just couldn’t do it, break up with Rin. He was too stupidly in love.

Now he was just tired, going through the motions, waiting for the day Rin would break up with him and shatter his heart. He didn’t think the day was that far off. It never seemed that Rin loved as much as Nitori did and recently the little affection outside of sex was waning.

Nitori wondered if it had to do with the mysterious dark-haired, blue-eyed boy. Nitori hadn’t had the heart to ask who he was after the day he found a picture on the night stand. It was faded and bent with finger smudges, clearly it had spent long hours in someone’s hand while their eyes soaked up the image. Rin had snatched it back as soon as he saw Nitori holding it. He cradled it like a baby and Nitori was shoved out of the apartment. Rin hadn’t called him for a week. The boy in the picture hadn’t been that old, seven at the most, but Nitori felt absurdly jealous of him.

Ha! Eighteen and jealous of a seven year old boy from a photograph. Nitori thought that he would vomit. He hated himself.

 

*Nagisa*

 

Makoto was the last person that Nagisa was expecting to get a call from. How many years had it been? At least ten seeing how Nagisa didn’t remember Makoto’s voice being this deep.

“Mako-chan? Mako-chan is it really you?” Nagisa said.

_“Yeah, it’s me Nagisa –”_

“Your voice is deeper!” Nagisa exclaimed.

_“Nagisa,”_ Makoto laughed.

“Sorry, Mako-chan, it’s just been so long,” Nagisa apologized.

_“Actually, about that. Recently I’ve moved back with my family.”_

“What!? Really?”

_“I was thinking… maybe we could all get together? Me, you, Rin, and Sousuke of course.”_

“Well… Rin-chan and Sou-chan moved to the city to go to univeristy.”

_“Oh,”_ Makoto’s voice wavered.

“We can still get together though Mako-chan!” Nagisa said.

_“Well… I was really hoping it would be all five–four of us–actually. I thought … well… we haven’t talked since that day… and I thought…”_

“Hmm…” Nagisa gnawed the inside of his cheek. He could understand Makoto’s feelings. He’d wanted to see the other’s too. Talk to them. “Y’know, Gou and I still talk sometimes, if you’d like maybe I can ask her to talk to Rin-chan. What do you think, Mako-chan?”

_“That’d be great! Thanks Nagisa.”_

“Sure no problem.”

 

*Rin*

 

“Gou, you could have given me more of a warning,” Rin said as he shut the bathroom door quickly. “I haven’t had time to clean up.”

“I wanted to surprise you, was that Nitori-kun?” Gou asked.

“No it was–no, you’re imagining things,” Rin said.

A frown flashed across Gou’s face and was quickly replaced with a smile. “Look what I brought!”

Gou held up a crockpot full of curry. Rin scowled though he felt secretly happy that his younger sister had cooked for him.

“I suppose you’re staying for dinner then?” He asked.

“Of course, it will be the perfect time to talk.”

“Talk?” Rin frowned. “Talk about what?”

“Um, I’ll tell you at dinner?”

 

* * *

 

“So what did you want to talk to me about?” Rin asked as scooped curry onto his plate.

Gou choked on her water. “Um–uh well you see, Nagisa called me…”

“Nagisa?” Rin asked raising an eyebrow, it had been years since he’d last spoken to Nagisa.

“Well Makoto spoke to Nagisa first,” Gou said.

“Makoto?”

“Um, they’re arranging a reunion. He wants you to come up to Iwatobi, with Sousuke-kun,” Gou explained.

“Iwatobi? Makoto’s in Iwatobi?” Rin asked. “I thought he moved way back when we were kids.

“I guess he moved back recently,” Gou said. “So, do you plan on going.”

Rin hesitated. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to see everyone again. It’d been so long and last time he saw them… but maybe it would be good to get away from Ai for a few days.

“Sure, why not.”

Gou’s eyes widened. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s great! Then, could you get ahold of Sousuke, too? I tried calling, but I think he changed his number.”

“Sure, I’ll give him a call.”

 

* Sousuke *

Sousuke’s face lit with surprise and joy when he saw Rin’s name on his phone.

“Hello?” He answered, trying to keep his voice steady.

_“Hey, Sou.”_

“Rin, what’s up?”

_“I just talked to Gou.”_

“Oh?” Sousuke asked.

_“She talked to Nagisa, who talked to Makoto, and Makoto wants the five–four of us to get together for a reunion of sorts.”_

“Oh.”

This wasn’t what Sousuke had been expecting. He’d thought, he’d hoped, that maybe… Rin was calling him of his own accord after all these years, but no… Sousuke’s heart sank. That was foolish of him.

“I see,” Sousuke said. “I suppose I could see if I could get a weekend off from work.”

_“Ah, I see, that’s great. So… see you then?”_

“Yeah, see you then.” Sousuke continued to listen as Rin hung up and the line went silent. Why were they trying to dig up the past, why couldn’t they just face the future? Sousuke wondered with a sigh.


End file.
